Once again, I find myself behind on these reviews. Sorry to the readers and the fine folks at DC.

Rebirth continues to roll. It has securely entrenched itself as the new norm for the DC Universe and it has, for the most part, been a rousing success.

Let's check out this round of releases, shall we?

FLASH: RUNNING SCARED - Fresh off his adventures in the time stream, The Flash returns to his own book trying to find his way with both Iris and Wally. Even a visit and some friendly advice from Green Lantern can't quite get Barry's head right. All it takes is a visit from the Reverse Flash to set him straight. It's another solid outing for the Flash and his creative team.

BATMAN: THE WAR OF JOKES AND RIDDLES - A lot of work has been done in recent years, in comics and other media, to turn the Riddler into an A-List Bat-Villain. It was inevitable that at some point he was going to run afoul of the Joker. Where does that leave Batman? Squarely in the center of an escalating war between the two. This was a rare misstep in my opinion. For whatever reason, the story didn't quite mesh. The narrative seems forced. The premise, good on paper, didn't quite come off.
DETECTIVE COMICS: DEUS EX MACHINA - The cover of this one gave me chills. Batman, Zatanna, Azrael and the Penguin? Sign me up. Thankfully, the story inside lived up to the cover. Fans of the late lamented JLU will remember the repartee between Batman and Zatanna. That is fully intact. Azfrael is back and he's angry. The Penguin is doing what he does. The story is a full blown roller coaster ride with frequent stops in the shared past of Batman and Zatanna. A really fun read. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
SUICIDE SQUAD: EARTHLINGS ON FIRE - Zod joins the Suicide Squad. What can possibly go wrong? How about the Russian version of the Suicide Squad? What about their secret Siberian headquarters? Even the best laid plans of Amanda Waller can't keep this one from going off the rails. This title continues to be balls to the wall action and mayhem. What else do you want from a team called Suicide Squad.